The 339th All-Weather Squadron (, ),

callsign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assi ...

"Ajax" (), was a squadron in service with the

Hellenic Air Force The Hellenic Air Force (HAF; , sometimes abbreviated as ΠΑ) is the air force of Greece (''Hellenic'' being the endonym for ''Greek'' in the Greek language). It is considered to be one of the largest air forces in NATO, and is globally placed 1 ...

from 1952 to 2017.

History

The squadron was established on 7 July 1952 as the 339 Fighter-Bomber Squadron (339 Μοίρα Δίωξης/Βομβαρδισμού), at the

Elefsis Air Base Elefsina () or Eleusis ( ; ) is a suburban city and Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Athens metropolitan area. It belongs to West Attica regional unit of Greece. It is located in the Thriasio Plain, at the northernmost ...

, equipped with F-84G Thunderjets. In January 1953 it moved to the 110th Combat Wing at

Larissa Air Base Larissa State Airport "Thessaly" () was built in 1912. It was the commercial airport of Larissa until 1997 when it closed for civilian traffic. Currently the airport is being used only by military aircraft of the Hellenic Air Force, whose 110th ...

, where it remained until 1956, when it returned to Elefsis and the 112th Combat Wing. In August 1959, the squadron began delivery of

F-84F Thunderstreak The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak is an American swept-wing turbojet-powered fighter-bomber. The RF-84F Thunderflash is variant of the F-84F that was designed for photo reconnaissance. The design was originally intended to be a relatively simp ...

s, and moved again to 110th CW at Larissa until April 1960, when it moved to 111th Combat Wing at

Nea Anchialos Air Base Nea Anchialos National Airport () is an airport located near the town of Nea Anchialos in Greece. It serves the regional unit of Magnesia and is also known as ''Central Greece Airport''. Overview The airport is at an elevation of above mean ...

. In 1971 it was moved to the

Andravida Air Base Andravida Air Base () is a military airport operated by the Hellenic Air Force, located 2.5 kilometres from the town of Andravida in Elis, Greece, housing the 117th Combat Wing (117 Πτέρυγα Μάχης, 117 ΠΜ), and the Air Force's Air Tac ...

where it remained almost continuously until its deactivation in 2017. The only exception was in 1973–1974, when work was being done in Andravida to prepare for the arrival of the new McDonnell Douglas F-4E, and the squadron relocated to nearby

Araxos Air Base Araxos Airport () is the airport of Patras, the third-largest city in Greece. It serves as a combined civilian and military airport and is located near its namesake, the village of Araxos, Achaea. It is also known as ''Agamemnon Airport'' and pri ...

. The squadron returned to Andravida in March 1974, and began delivery of the first F-4Es the next month. The squadron undertook a dual mission, fighter-bomber and interception, but in 1978 the former was made its main role until 1983, when the priority was reversed. From 2002 to 2005, the squadron received upgraded F-4Es as part of the 'Peace Icarus 2000' project. The squadron was declared operational with the upgraded aircraft in December 2003, and returned to its interceptor mission, with fighter-bomber role as a secondary mission. The squadron was decommissioned on 31 October 2017, as part of the gradual withdrawal of F-4E from service.

References

{{Hellenic Air Force squadrons Military units and formations established in 1952 Military units and formations disestablished in 2017 Squadrons of the Hellenic Air Force 1952 establishments in Greece 2017 disestablishments in Greece